Memorabilia from the Titanic will be sold at auction in Wiltshire today to mark the 102nd anniversary of the loss of the liner. The collectables will include the only known letter written on Titanic stationery. It's thought it could fetch up to a hundred thousand pounds.

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The only known letter written on Titanic stationery on the day the liner hit an iceberg is to be sold at auction in Wiltshire.

The only known letter written on Titanic on the day the liner hit an iceberg Credit: Henry Aldridge and Son,

Henry Aldridge and Son are holding an auction of Titanic collectables to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the loss of the Royal Mail Steamer on April 26th.

One of the star lots is only known letter written on Titanic stationery on the day the liner hit an iceberg.

The only known letter written on Titanic on the day the liner hit an iceberg Credit: Henry Aldridge and Son,

Estimated at £80000-£100000 this unique piece, complete with its envelope embossed with the White Star Burgee, was written by Second Class passenger Esther Hart, the mother of the famous survivor Eva Hart, and it is featured in Eva Hart’s biography “Shadow of the Titanic”.

She was travelling with her parents, Esther and Benjamin, a master builder, to Canada, where they were to start a new life.

Sailor-turned documentary maker Des Cox owns one of the world's biggest maritime archives: a celebration of the golden years of British shipping.

When he was handed reels of film from the 1920s - film that was about to be thrown away - he expected it to come to nothing. Not least because the film was in an extremely fragile state.

Then - as he inspected the frames - he saw an image that looked familiar. It looked like The Titanic. A lot like The Titanic. It led to the most important discovery of his career. John Ryall went to meet him at his home in Saltdean near Brighton.

Video. A violin it is claimed was heroically played by Wallace Hartley, the Titanic band leader, as the ship sunk. It will go on show this week ahead of it being auctioned in Wiltshire next month. Forensic experts in Oxford helped a six year investigation trying to prove it is genuine.

But now relatives of another band member who also played a violin say they do not believe it is genuine. Mike Pearse reports.

The violin that auctioneers say was played on the Titanic. Credit: Mike Pearse/ITV Meridian

According to auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son, from Wiltshire, the instrument is made of maple and spruce wood and belonged to Wallace Hartley, the leader of the orchestra on the ill-fated ship.

They have spent six years researching the object and even enlisted world leading forensic scientist in Oxford and used a CT scanner in Swindon to prove it was authentic.

But as the violin is about to go on public view at the visitor attraction, Titanic Belfast, the relative of another band member says he simply "does not believe" it is genuine.

The RMS Titanic sailed from Southampton in April 1912 Credit: PA

Christopher Ward lost his grandfather, Jock Hume, in the tragedy. He was 21 years-old and himself played the violin. Mr Ward has spent years researching the subject for a book, And the Band Played On.

He told ITV News the way violins were made a century ago meant is was unlikely it could have survived for several days in the water after the Titanic went down. "It would have broken up" he believes.

But the auctioneers disagree. They say they "wanted proof beyond doubt" it was genuine before they sold it. They have spent six years and many thousands of pounds on world forensic experts and historians to discover if it is the real thing.

They say the inscriptions on the violin itself and the case that was with it prove beyond doubt it is genuine.